You Had Me At Malfeasance
by karmacanary
Summary: A collection of Captain Swan one-offs. Some fluff, some steam, some funny, some a little bit of all of that. Rated M for the steamy stuff, whenever I feel like throwing it in there.
1. Interlude

**_Set after "New York City Serenade" - a few lost scenes between Hook and Emma._**

* * *

He followed her through the door and off the roof, listening to her boots ring on the stairs, and his after her.

"Swan! Wait."

He wasn't sure what he was going to say to her. He only knew he should be saying something. Obviously, things with this man...this...interloper had gone terribly wrong, and while he was secretly delighted by it, he wasn't cad enough to delight in her pain. Emma was hurting, that much was clear.

She stopped a full flight down, but didn't turn around.

"What?" Her voice was flat and perfunctory, not inviting comment. He decided to persevere, walking down the last few steps to stand in front of her.

"What happened up there?"

"I told you; it didn't work out. Story of my life." She made a move to go around him, and his hand shot out, stopping her.

"Where did he go? Did he try to hurt you?" His eyes were concerned, sweeping her up and down as if looking for an injury.

"He vanished in a cloud of smoke and his fangs and claws were a big surprise, but I'm over it now."

"Fangs and claws?"

"He turned into some kind of demented...flying monkey." She looked up at him, still having a hard time believing it herself. "And from the way he talked, I was part of his plan from the beginning," She looked away, trying not to let the tears form in her eyes. "Whatever it was."

Hook looked alarmed. "A flying monkey? What the devil..." He shook his head. "So you were his target?"

"Yeah. I guess." Emma suddenly felt incredibly weary. She leaned back against the railing on the stairwell, trying to gather her thoughts. Regaining her memories today was enough of a blow, but to find out that she couldn't really have chosen this life anyway - not that she would have, but it was nice to know the option was there - it was just weighing her down.

"You all right?" He asked softly. Something in his eyes pulled at her, and she found herself opening up a little.

"You know, ever since I found out who I was, my life has been one long rollercoaster ride from calamity to chaos. I had a year where none of that happened, and now it's gone." He started to speak, but she held up a hand to stop him. "I know, I know...you're going to remind me again that it was all a lie. But I believed it. I believed it because I wanted to believe it. I _still_ want to believe it."

"You'll get through this, Swan. You're the most resilient person I know - next to me, of course." He gave her a half-smile, stepping forward to twine a lock of her hair around his finger. "It's been a long year for both of us, I suspect."

She reached up, pulling his hand away with hers. "I'm not in the mood, Hook."

His jaw tightened and his eyes flared briefly. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Didn't you?" She smirked. "Am I supposed to believe you were out of action for a year? Please." She dropped his hand and pushed against his chest to get him to move. He was having none of it, lowering his head until his mouth hovered disconcertingly close to hers.

"And if I was?" He looked at her through hooded eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. "You can tell I'm not lying, Swan. You can read me like a book - and I, you. We've always had that between us. Perhaps it's time we stop pretending we don't know each other so well."

She closed her eyes in sheer self-preservation. "I can't do this right now." She opened her eyes again, keeping her tone firm. "I need to get home."

He stepped back. "We'll get you home, and Henry, too. We'll find out what's going on, and we'll fight whatever bloody demons we have to fight." He reached out again, stroking her jawline with his thumb. "But you can't brick me off behind a wall, love. I won't stay."

He pulled his hand back and he looked at her, while she looked at the floor.

"Come on," She said finally. "I need to pack."

###

"I'll never get used to these horseless carriages," Hook complained. "Everyone drives like a madman and there's no way to stretch out your legs or lie down, if you've a mind to."

Emma gave him a warning look, sending a half-nod over her shoulder in Henry's direction.

"The lad's asleep," Hook informed her. "Has been for some time now."

"Well, you can get out and stretch your legs a minute - I'm stopping for gas."

"Gas?"

"Fuel. It's what the car runs on." She put her blinker on, merging over to the right and pulled into a gas station. "This won't take long. There are restrooms inside, if you need them."

He gave her a nod, heading toward the dingy looking mini-market attached to the gas station. He came out a few moments later with a key attached to a large block of wood. He held it up, walking over to her.

"What the devil is this? Do I use the block to prop open the door?"

She smirked. "They do that so no one steals the key."

He raised his brows, clearly not understanding, and made his way around the side of the gas station to the restrooms. Emma finished pumping, looking through the window at sleeping Henry. What the hell was she going to tell him? She still hadn't worked that one out. He'd been peppering Hook with questions the whole way here, and Hook, to his credit, had answered them all with a clever, deliberate vagueness that made her head spin. Henry seemed to be buying it, though. He was having a blast with his new friend, Killian.

And it felt strange calling him Killian. Too...personal.

She replaced the pump and put her gas cap back on just as Hook was walking back out of the mini-market, having returned the key. She got in, and a moment later, his door opened and he slid into the seat next to her.

"Good God. I've been on prison barges that smelled better than that."

She gave him an apologetic look. "Gas station bathrooms are rarely a nice experience."

"I may have to burn these clothes," He muttered. "Or the boots, at the very least." He tilted his head back on the seat rest. "How much longer until we get there?"

"About two more hours," She speculated. "As long as there's no major road construction to slow us down. You can get some sleep if you want. I don't mind."

"I can manage," He replied. "Wouldn't want to leave you without conversation."

She rolled her eyes. "It might be nice to be alone with my thoughts for awhile."

He stared ahead out the window, and she looked at his profile, just as she'd done so many damn times in that jungle when she thought he wasn't looking. He quirked a brow, casting his eyes sideways, catching her in the act.

"That's the problem with you, Swan," He surmised. "You've been alone too long."


	2. Only A Kiss

_**Set in Neverland, shortly after the kiss. Just a little banter...**_

* * *

She pulled herself out of the pool of water, glancing around carefully. It felt good to get the sweat and steam of the jungle off of her, even if it was temporary. She stood, wringing the water out of her hair, and then waved her arms, trying to generate some air flow around her body, in lieu of a towel.

"Keep flapping your arms like that and you'll end up with an audience of Lost Boys," Hook said.

She jumped, grabbing her clothes and holding them in front of her as she turned. He was standing a few yards away, with his back to her.

"How long have you been there?" She demanded. "It's pretty low...spying on someone while they bathe." She yanked her shirt over her head, then struggled to push her wet legs into her pants.

"Calm down, Swan, I'm only keeping watch for you."

"I don't recall inviting you."

"You didn't," He confirmed. "But I wasn't entirely joking about the Lost Boys, love. They're not all young children. Some of them are entirely too curious and an unclothed lady - particularly an attractive one - would certainly garner some attention."

"How did you know I was gone? I thought I was being pretty sneaky."

"I wasn't sleeping."

He left it at that. He couldn't very well say _I was watching you sleep like I do most every night and I watched you wake up and I watched you stretch and I wanted very much to be the reason your back was arching._ No, that likely wouldn't do to mention.

"Well you can turn around now," She said. He pivoted slowly, raising his brows. He also tried, and quite valiantly, not to look at the way her shirt was clinging to her wet body, outlining every detail of her perfect breasts, including the slightly erect nipples. He rubbed his ear and forced his eyes elsewhere.

"I'll be glad to get a real bath again, in a place where the air doesn't feel like pea soup," She complained.

"Pea soup?" He made a curious face.

"It's an expression; "thick as pea soup."

"Ah. I'm not entirely familiar with your quaint colloquialisms."

She gave him a smirk, shoving her hands in her back pockets. He raised his eyebrows in return and they stared at each other in awkward silence.

"We should get back," Emma said. "Pan would probably love to separate us."

"If he wanted to do so, he'd have done it already," Hook remarked. He stepped in, disconcertingly close. "What's the matter, Swan? Afraid to be alone with me?"

That got her back up. He managed to stifle a smile as she gave him an eyeroll. "Please."

To her credit, she stood her ground, refusing to let him intimidate her. He reached out, twirling a lock of her hair in his fingers as he leaned down, putting his lips a mere inch above hers.

"Someday, love, you'll use that word for all the right reasons."

She started to say something by way of protest, but he brought his finger to her lips. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," He murmured. "The kiss." He rubbed his finger lightly across her lips, but Emma grabbed his hand, stopping him. She took a step back, doing her best to look like she wasn't breathing differently.

"It was just a kiss, Hook. I don't even know why I did it."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "No, you don't, do you?" He stroked his beard. "Believe it or not, that makes me feel better."

"Better about what?"

"You. You might not know why you did it, love, but you're not sorry that you did."

She turned away, shaking her head. "I don't have time for you, Hook." She gave him a dismissive wave behind her back, not even bothering to look back at him as she walked away.

He gave a half-smile to her retreating back.

"Ah, but I have all the time in the world for you, Emma. And I am ever a patient man."


	3. Bro No

**_Set after 03:14 - "Quiet Minds"_**

* * *

"So Emma was getting married?" David asked.

"Not quite," Hook replied. "The offer was made, but he turned into a deranged simian and flew off the building and that tends to put a damper on a girl's ardor."

"How long were they together?" David probed. "She must have had some real feelings for him."

"He was a bloody monkey! And he tried to kill her!"

"But before that," David insisted, " Before that, he was just a man, and she was in love with him, right?"

Hook looked up from his glass of whiskey. "She thought she was. She was going to turn down his proposal before he revealed himself, anyway."

David reached out, moving the bottle further away from Hook. "Go easy on that stuff. I need you sober and thinking."

"One doesn't necessarily have to go with the other, mate," Hook pointed out. "You'll have to excuse me if I need fortification to continue a discussion on this topic."

David rolled his eyes, leaning back on the couch. "I know you don't like to hear it, Hook, but the truth is, she had a good life in New York. And we pulled her away from it."

"It was a lie!" Hook pointed out, exasperated. "And the man wasn't a man at all. And he certainly wasn't the man for her."

"And you are?" David gave him a look.

"Well, apparently I rate far below a murderous, flying monkey on your scale of potential suitors for your daughter. I'm just the bloody pirate who risked his life to help all of you rescue her son. I'm just the scoundrel who risked it all again to bring her here to you. I'm just the villain who saved your bloody life!" He jumped to his feet, and then as an afterthought, he threw his whiskey glass hard into the fireplace.

"Hey!"

"Bloody hell." Hook crossed the room, intending on making an exit.

"Hook! Wait!"

"What?" He bit out, clearly through with this conversation.

"Look, I'm sorry. You're right. You've done a lot to help all of us, and I haven't shown you the gratitude you deserve."

Hook gave him a disgusted look. "I don't want your _gratitude_, mate."

"I know. But you have it anyway." David stood with his hands on his hips, unsure of where to go with this. He finally decided that honesty was probably the best tack. "You don't want my gratitude. You want my daughter. I get that."

Hook wisely chose to stay silent, biting his lower lip and giving David a dark look.

"The thing is, Hook, she's not mine to give. Emma's got her own mind. She's her own person."

"Exactly," Hook interjected. "Finally - something we can agree upon."

"And if she says you're the one, Hook, then I'll have to agree with her." David offered.

"Very magnanimous of you." He tried once again to leave, but David's hand clamped down on his shoulder, forestalling him. "Oh, what now?" He said petulantly. "I really think we've exhausted the subject, don't you?"

"I just want to add this," David said. "Put yourself in my shoes for a minute, okay? Pretend you get the woman of your dreams. You're with Emma, and she tells you one day that she's carrying your child. Your _child_." He looked away a moment, getting his thoughts together. "Is there anything you wouldn't do for that baby? For the both of them?"

Hook shook his head, looking at the floor, his mind filling with images of Emma, warm in his arms, her belly swollen with his child. He felt a strange, unsettling sensation in his middle, as though he were filling up and in danger of overflowing somehow.

"And after guarding this little someone, cherishing them, knowing you'd give your life for them if you had to -" David continued, "Can you imagine just handing her over to someone else? Someone who, until just recently, had been working with someone who was actively trying to kill you and your whole family?"

Hook looked at him grimly. "I see your point."

David pulled his hand off Hook's shoulder and tucked it into his pocket. "We haven't had a chance at anything near normal since Emma found us. And neither has she. Maybe when this all settles down and we all get a chance to really just...I don't know...interact - " He broke off, unsure of how to go on.

"Don't make rash promises, mate," Hook said with a cocky grin. "I'm the one that's been drinking, remember?"

David let out a chuckle. "I'm just saying - for whatever it's worth - I do believe in second chances. We've all done things we're not proud of."

Hook looked taken aback. "You have? What?"

David opened his mouth, looked flustered, and then closed it again. "Okay, nothing comes immediately to mind, but I'm sure I did sometime. The point is, you're not that same man. I can see that. And Emma can see it, too. If it's going to happen Hook, it'll happen when it's time."

"So you're saying that you think Emma sees me for the man I am?" He tried to make it sound nonchalant, but his eyes showed how invested he was in David's answer.

"I do. She trusts you." David gave a shrug. "And with Emma, that's half the battle."

They both turned at the sound of the door opening, and Snow and Emma walked in, shaking off their wet coats.

"It's raining like a bitch out there," Emma complained.

Snow stepped forward to kiss her husband. "What's this? Boy's night in?"

"Just talking strategy," David said, throwing a glance at Hook. "I didn't make any dinner - I thought we were going to Granny's."

Snow made a face. "I'm starving. It's okay, I can whip something up."

"I'll do it," David offered. "I just thought for sure you wanted pie."

Snow's eyes actually rolled back in her head. "Pie." She sighed. "Oh, David. Now it's all I can think about."

Emma smirked. "I can run out and bring some back," She said, reaching for her car keys.

"Oh, no," Snow disagreed. "Henry will be home soon."

"In an hour," Emma countered. "You don't want to go back out in the rain again."

"I do for pie. And if I wait for you to go out, and then come back, I have to wait longer for it," Snow pointed out.

"Don't stand between a pregnant woman and her pie," David warned.

Emma held her hands up. "Backing off. You go get your pie."

David held the door open as Snow went through, and his eyes met Hook's, then slid to Emma's. "We'll be gone a little while. Why don't I call Regina and tell her we'll pick Henry up on the way back? That way she doesn't have to go out in this."

"Sure," Emma said. "I'm in for the night."

"Okay then," David said. "See you in a little while." He glanced again at Hook, who gave him a measured look as he shut the door.

"You sticking around?" Emma asked, her voice muffled, since David was listening from the other side of the door.

"Would you like me to?" Came Hook's voice, barely heard through the wood.

Snow and David looked at each other, each of them leaning slightly as they strained to hear her response. A few long moments later, and they realized that the door wasn't opening, they were still staring at each other, and there was pie waiting elsewhere.

David gave a shrug.

Snow gave him back a small grin and a shrug of her own. Then she threaded her hand through her husband's arm, and led him away from the door.


	4. Princess

"You sticking around?" Emma asked, reaching for a wine glass.

"Would you like me to?" he asked.

Emma stared at him for a long, charged minute. Finally, she gave a shrug, grabbed a bottle of wine off the counter and walked into the living room. He followed, leaning against the door jamb.

"I suppose I'll take that as a 'maybe.'"

"You can stay if you'd like," she said. "I'd offer you wine, but it's not really your kind of drink." She gestured toward the sideboy. "The whiskey is over there. We're fresh out of rum. Sorry."

"Whiskey will do." He walked over to the sideboy and poured himself a generous portion, bringing the bottle with him. He sat in the chair opposite the couch, and put his booted feet up on the coffee table.

"Don't let Mary Margaret see you do that," Emma warned him. "She'll put an arrow in your ass."

He gave a chuckle, taking his feet off the table. "Far be it from me to provoke a pregnant woman. I've faced many terrible and frightening creatures in my life, but they all pale in comparison to an angry mother-to-be."

"Especially right now - she's got a huge 'nesting' thing going on. She's been cleaning and organizing like crazy. Kinda makes me glad I missed all that."

An image came unbidden into Hook's mind of Emma in one of those ridiculous bowed blouses that Mary Margaret wore, her belly prominent and her skin glowing as she wiped down a countertop or dusted a table. He cracked a half-smile at the unlikely image of Emma shrouded in domesticity. It was as unlikely as it would be for him to be there on the couch, moving his feet so that she could clean around him.

But damn him if he didn't suddenly yearn for just that. Peace, in his little corner of wherever, with Emma at his side, maybe even carrying his child.

He took a drink of whiskey and tried to get a grip on his unruly thoughts.

"How are Henry and Regina getting along?" He asked.

"Good. Really good," Emma replied. "I know it's got to be hard on Regina, though. I can't even imagine - having someone you love so much right in front of you and they have no idea who you are. That's got to be torture."

"Indeed." He gave her a measured look that for some reason made her shift her gaze away.

"He's got a good head on his shoulders." Hook continued. "He took to sailing like it was second-nature for him."

Emma smiled. "He's always up for an adventure."

Hook saluted her with his drink. "Like his mother."

"Nope. Dead wrong. I have a definite aversion to adventure. I just want a nice, calm life." She looked around. "And I'm never going to get that here, that's for sure."

"I disagree. You're as adventurous a spirit as I've ever encountered - when you embrace that part of you, anyway. You were born for more than a mundane life, Emma. Don't short yourself out of it."

Emma shook her head. "I'm not some fairytale princess, Hook."

He placed his drink down on the coffee table. "I'll have to dispute that, love. Yes, you are. And it's about time you started taking the job seriously."

She gave him an eyebrow and a smirk. "So...what? I should put on my tall hat with the veil and a ballgown and wait for my prince to show up? My life doesn't work that way."

"It's certainly better than hiding in a tall building in a big city and hoping your next boyfriend isn't a flying monkey." He reached for his drink again as she gave him a dirty look.

"You're looking at this all wrong, love. You _are_ a princess. More than that, you are meant to be a savior. You're seeing all that as endless rounds of fluffy dresses and balls in your honor and princes on white horses who'll come courting. Being the ruler of a kingdom is so much more than that. Just ask your parents."

"I'm not going to be ruling any kingdom." She disagreed.

"If you were home, truly home, you would be someday. And that's a tremendous responsibility, fit only for those who have the compassion and the smarts and the guts to do it. You've more of all of those than anyone I've ever met, save your parents." He took a long drink of whiskey. "Don't tell your father I said that, by the way."

Emma curled her legs up under her on the couch, swirling her wine in her glass for a moment. "You really think I could rule a kingdom?"

"I think you could do anything you've set your mind to. You're a force of nature, love. I've never met your like in all my life."

Emma suddenly felt entirely too warm, and she had a good idea it wasn't just the wine. She looked up at Hook over the rim of her glass.

"So you've got me ruling a kingdom. When does the Prince ride up on his stallion?"

Hook gave her a devilish smile.

"He took the subway, instead. It was faster."


	5. Granny's

Emma tiptoed out of the hospital room as silently as she could. Mary Margaret had just gotten the baby down and the last thing she wanted to do was wake him up, especially when Mom was drifting off and Dad was sound asleep in a chair at her bedside. Henry had taken off for dinner at Regina's, so that left Emma on her own for dinner.

And after a day like they'd just had, she could use a big drink along with it.

She stepped out of the hospital and into the parking lot, letting out a sigh when she saw who was leaning on her car.

"Whatever it is, I'm not in the mood, Hook."

She reached in her jacket for her keys, but he stepped around the car and in front of the driver's side door, stopping her from getting in.

"If you don't mind," she said as patiently as she could, "I'd really like to get some dinner. I haven't eaten all damn day."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" he replied "I'd love some dinner." He gave her a jaunty smile that didn't quite reach his eyes for some reason. Emma paused a moment, weighing her keys in her hand.

"Get in."

He raised a brow but did as she asked, and a few minutes later, they were sliding into a booth at Granny's and ordering burgers, fries and two very large beers.

Hook raised his mug to her as soon as Granny set them down. "Cheers, Swan," he said. "Here's to what is hopefully the first of many peaceful evenings - for a change."

She clanked her mug against his. "Ain't that the truth."

"Where's Henry?" He asked, reaching for the ketchup.

"I'm afraid you've been replaced," Emma said with a smirk. "Robin Hood is all kinds of exciting. You're just the pirate that he used to hang with now."

Hook played with the pile of fries on his plate. "Oh, I expect he'll come around. I'm not that easy to forget."

The look on her face said clearly that she wasn't touching that one. She dunked a fry in the ketchup on her plate, swirling it around.

"So now what?" she asked.

"Now? I'm finishing my dinner," he answered, taking a bite of his burger.

She gave him an eyeroll. "You know what I mean. Are you staying around here? Heading back? Sailing off into the sunset?"

"Not sure as to the agenda yet," he replied, not meeting her eyes. "And in order to sail, one needs to have a ship. Sadly, I'm fresh out."

"And exactly where is the Jolly Roger?" She asked. "I've been meaning to ask you that since you got here. You were on it when you got the message to find me, according to your accounting, anyway. And you weren't brought here by the curse. If the Jolly didn't bring you here, then how did you get here?"

"It's a thrilling tale, I assure you, but best saved for another day. I didn't invite myself to dinner to discuss my ship. I want to discuss you."

She pushed back from the table. "Here it comes. I told you, Hook - I'm not in the mood."

"It's just a discussion, Swan. And I'm not here as a man who wants you." He paused looking away for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "I'm here as a friend."

"Okay..." she reached for her beer. "So - enlighten me."

"I know you're remembering your time in New York as a halcyon thing - and I understand that. Regardless of it's fallacies and illusions, it was real as you experienced it. Your memory of it makes it a safer alternative to all of...this." He gestured toward the door. "I get that. But that isn't life, love. Or, I should say, that isn't what makes up _your_ life."

"No, villains and evil queens and witches and people I care about dying around me - that's my life," she pointed out. "At least here, it is. And I can make a choice to walk away from that."

"And what about Henry's choice?"

"I told you before - I'm his mother." She said firmly.

"And so is Regina."

Emma let out a sigh. "I know she is. And it's not like we won't ever come back. We can visit. Maybe Henry can spend part of his summer break here." She turned her beer mug slowly between her palms. "Henry deserves a chance at a normal life. And for that matter, so do I."

"That's just what I'm getting at, love." He leaned in, his voice earnest. "You weren't born for a normal life. Henry wasn't born for a normal life. Not by this world's standards."

"Well, like it or not, Hook, we're living in this world. And I want what's best for him - here." She lowered her voice, realizing that she was getting louder. "He can't be swinging swords or sailing ships or slaying dragons every day."

"And why not? How do you know that isn't his destiny?" Hook argued. "You're content to see him condemned to a life of mundanity. He'll finish school, he'll get a job, he'll get married, he'll have children, he'll grow old and die. Is that all that you want for him? Is it?"

"I want him happy."

"He's happy here, Emma. Here. With you, with Regina, with your family - all of them. He needs all the pieces. And so do you." Hook reached for his beer, taking a drink. "I've had my say. And as a friend, I just want to add this piece of advice. I'm the last person to tell you not to be selfish, Swan. I've spent the course of several lifetimes looking no further than my own needs, but perhaps that's given me insight into it that will be of benefit to you." He gave her a slight smile. "You can't run away from your life, love. It's easy enough to go, to become someone else, perhaps even revel in it. But it leaves a hole that nothing can really fill. Nothing but finding your true home. Your true family. Believe me, Swan. I know."

Emma sat in silence a moment, not really sure how to answer him. Finally, she pointed at his plate.

"You gonna finish those fries?"

He pushed the plate at her. "Go ahead. I've always had a hard time saying no to you, love."

She swirled a fry into the pool of ketchup on her plate. "Killian."

His eyes met hers, and he crooked a brow, waiting.

"Thanks." She took a deep breath. "I'll think about it."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "You could throw in a thought for me, as well, if you'd like."

She rolled her eyes, stuffing a french fry in her mouth before she gave into the urge to tell him that despite her voiced objections, he already rented space in her head, and with every baring of his soul like this, that structure was looking more and more permanent.

_He needs all the pieces,_ he'd said. _And so do you._

She glanced around at all the people at Granny's, and her thoughts flew to her parents, her new brother, Henry and Regina and Gold. All pieces. Parts of a whole. And that was something she'd never felt throughout the entirety of her life: whole. Maybe she just wasn't feeling it completely because there was still one piece she hadn't put in place.

She looked across the table, and she reached for another fry.


	6. At Last

_**Set after the season 3 finale...**_

* * *

"Leave that," Granny said to David, as he cleared the last of the plates from the booths. "Red and I can finish up in the morning."

"I've just got the last of it now," David said, "And we're not leaving this mess behind."

"Leadership in action," Granny smiled. "Just drop them here on the counter and then you two get on home. Our new prince and his mama need their rest."

Snow nodded, yawning widely. "I'm afraid rest will have to wait. He's due for a feeding as soon as we get home."

David took the baby, tucking him carefully in the crook of his arm as he reached down, helping his wife to her feet. "Let's get this guy home before he realizes the party's over. Where's Henry?"

"Regina walked him home," Snow said. "He wanted to talk with Robin some more."

David looked back over his shoulder at Emma, who was sitting at the counter with Killian. "You coming, Emma?"

Her eyes slid sideways, catching Killian's. He betrayed himself with a smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You go on ahead," she said, not taking her eyes off Killian. "I'll see you later."

Snow gave a knowing nod, leaning into her husband and pulling him along before he could say anything. They made it out the door and he turned to her.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Mmmm-hmmm," Snow replied. "That's our daughter, letting someone in. It's about time, too."

"You never liked him," David pointed out incredulously.

"Did so! I've always liked Hook. I think he's good for her. You're the one who had the problem with him."

"Me?" David shook his head. "No, I just wanted them both to take their time. And they did. I never had a problem."

Snow rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get home. From the looks of them, we won't be seeing Emma tonight."

David made a pained face. "Please. She's still my daughter. And she did just call me Dad for only the second time in her life."

"Come on, Dad. Your little girl's all grown up and you can't intimidate her boyfriend, anyway."

"Don't I know it," he sighed.

Killian held the door, and Emma stepped through, pulling her coat a little closer in the chilly night air.

"It's bloody cold out here," he complained. "What time is it, anyway?"

"It's almost midnight," Emma said, stifling a yawn. "It's been a long day."

Killian rubbed the back of his neck. "Feels more like...oh, I don't know...thirty years or something."

She smiled. "Very funny." She put her hands at the small of her back, stretching. "I'm just glad to be out of that corset."

He quirked a brow. "I'd have been happy to help you out of that corset, love."

"I know." She rolled her eyes. "You had the whole front of my shirt unlaced in just the time it took to kiss me. Pretty good for a drunken, one-handed man."

He gave her a dark look. "I don't know if I'm more angry that he did that or that I can't remember the doing of it," he grumbled.

She smiled again, then looked down, kicking at a rough piece of concrete with the toe of her boot. Killian reached out, taking her hand. "Shall I walk you home, love?"

Emma looked down at their hands, swinging between them. His palm was warm against hers and she was acutely aware of it. She took a breath, and looked up at him.

"You so eager to get rid of me?"

He went still. "Do you want to stay?"

She tilted her head a little. "I don't _have_ to go."

He held her gaze, and for a moment his fingers tightened on hers. "Are you sure about this, Swan?"

"You're turning into a gentleman _now_?" She raised her brows.

"I'm always a gentleman. What we've got is still new, and if I take you to my room, there'll be no turning back." The heat in his eyes made her heart speed up, but she didn't look away.

"I know."

He pulled her into him, kissing her for a good, long time. "I don't know if I can make it to the room," he said against her lips. "God's truth, I've wanted you so long I'm afraid I'm going to embarrass myself."

She gave a short, explosive laugh. "Then we'd definitely better get inside."

He chuckled with her. "Why didn't you say something while we were still inside? Could have saves us standing out here in the bloody cold."

"I thought it might be better if we left, then went in through the back entrance," she shrugged. "Nobody needs to know our business."

He reached out, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. "And you think that once I've had you in my bed, no one will be able to tell?"

"What, you're going to tattoo me? I don't plan on advertising."

He gave her a smug look. "Oh, they'll know, Swan. They'll know." He reached down, taking her hand again and pulled her along. They were inside and he was pulling her into the room a moment later, pushing her back against the door to shut it. His mouth came down on hers, hesitantly at first, then with considerably more ardor when she slid her hands up his chest and rubbed herself against him.

She felt his hand slid just inside the bottom of her shirt, across the skin of her belly and she made an impatient sound that nearly drove him mad. She shrugged out of her coat and then reached down, lifting her shirt off and over her head.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Helping you," she said, reaching for the button on her pants. His hand came down over hers.

"Don't," he said huskily. "Let me."

"But - "

"I've been imagining this moment for a long time, Swan. Let me enjoy every second of it." He gave her a crooked grin, then took her hand, leading her over to the bed. He detached his hook and cuff, then slipped off his boots, pushing her down into a sitting position on the bed. He knelt down in front of her, pulling her boots off, then unbuttoning and sliding her pants down her legs.

He stood up slowly.

"Good God, Swan," he said, a little hoarsely. "I knew the view would be good, but I wasn't prepared for this."

She smiled up at him as he put a knee down on the bed beside her, pushing her backwards and then moving in next to her. He reached for the ties on his shirt, but Emma reached out and pushed his hand away.

"My turn," she said, in a low, sexy voice that sent instant heat to his groin. He felt his breathing speed up as her hands pushed up under his shirt, sliding over the slab of muscle, her fingers toying in the soft hair on his chest. He levered himself up and helped her pull the shirt over his head, and then sucked in his breath when he felt her hands on the buttons of his breeches, pulling and tugging and making him want to roll her beneath him and bury himself without preliminaries.

He took a deep breath in as she peeled the breeches slowly down his legs, her eyes moving over him as though she were very hungry and he was sitting on a platter before her. He was going to make a fool of himself if he didn't get control of what she was making him feel, but this was _Emma_. This was Emma, and he could hardly believe it, still.

He pulled her back down, settling her and he moved half on top of her. "Emma," he murmured, kissing her softly, lingeringly as his hand moved along the planes of her body, removing the rest of her undergarments and feeling her touching his shoulders, his back, his chest. She arched up into him and he kissed her again, hard, fighting to keep from ending it all too soon.

His hand moved down to her hip, his thumb slowly stroking the soft area inside her hipbone, sending a slow, burning signal right down between her legs. Emma's breath hitched and she tilted her head up, closing her eyes.

Then...nothing. He wasn't moving, other than that thumb. What was he waiting for?

"Emma" he said again, quietly. "Ask me."

She opened her eyes and realized just what he was saying. "Make love to me, Killian. Please."

"Took you long enough, love" he said, leaning down and softly placing his lips against hers. He seemed unhurried, moving his mouth gently on hers, pulling back to slide his tongue along the seam between her lips. She parted them for him, gasping slightly as he pulled her body in tight against his.

Emma was hyper-aware of every inch of skin he had against her, of the burning heat of him all over her, and the feelings of his fingers as they caressed and teased her opening, making her head toss restlessly on the pillow. She slid her hand up from his chest to tangle into his hair, threading her fingers through the silkiness of it. A low, appreciative growl rose up from Killian's throat as his kisses grew wilder. She was arching into his hand fiercely when suddenly everything focused right there, under his circling thumb. Her eyes widened, and with a startled cry, she came apart, her eyes squeezing shut as her fingers dug into his upper arms and cry broke from her lips.

His eyes were bright as he looked at her, reveling in every nuance of her face, and the beauty of her glorious hair spread across the pillow. He watched her carefully, slowing his hand as she was coming down, gentling his touch until it was the barest of caresses, giving her time to relax and recover. His lips teased hers, and his tongue slid inside to circle and dance with hers. His hand moved beneath her to cup her buttocks and pull her up to receive him. Emma's eyes squeezed closed again at the feel of him sliding against her, rubbing himself in her wetness before he slid in deeply, pulling a long, tortured groan from her chest.

Then he was moving on her, and she welcomed him with everything that she had, pulling him in deeper, wrapping her legs around his surging hips and fitting herself to him perfectly. Her breasts were soft against his chest and he the scalding heat of her turned his blood to fire as buried his face in the crook of her neck, determined to watch her come apart again, while he was buried deep inside her.

And for once, he didn't want to rush headlong toward that pleasure, to take whatever fleeting enjoyment he could from it. He wanted it to go on and on and on. God's truth, he felt like he could never get enough of her. His hand moved up, filling itself with her soft breast, and she gave him a sound of encouragement that caused him to push forward a little harder.

Her low, forceful "yeah" nearly sent him over the edge. His jaw tightened, and he grabbed her hand in his, pulling it up over her head and twining his fingers with hers, and then he reached out, looping one of her legs over his other forearm for better leverage. Then he pounded her, hard, pressing deep and drawing sounds from her that were raw and uncontrolled and all the more beautiful for it until she shattered with a loud cry, her back arching hard. He shuddered violently, pouring himself into her, feeling it burn through him like fire.

He was conscious of her hand, stroking his hair sometime later. He still held her other hand in his, and he kept it, moving off her and to the side while using their hands to pull her over to him. He finally released her fingers, reaching up to touch her face.

"That was..."

She smiled at him slowly.

"_So_ not a one-time thing."


End file.
